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APOD
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation written by a professional astronomer.
Brain Crater on Mars
Explanation: What caused this unusual looking crater floor on Mars? Appearing at first glance to resemble the human brain , the natural phenomena that created the unusual texture on the floor of this Martian impact crater are currently under investigation. The light colored region surrounding the brain-textured region is likely sand dunes sculpted by winds . The Mars Global Surveyor robot spacecraft that has been orbiting Mars since 1997 took the above image . Meanwhile, down on the surface, robots Spirit and Opportunity continue to roll, inspecting landscape , rocks , and soil for clues to the ancient watery past of the red planet . Humorously, this brain-terrain on Mars spans about a kilometer, making it just about the right size to fit inside the rock formation once dubbed the Face on Mars .
| Date | May 19, 2004 |
|---|---|
| Credit | Credit: Malin Space Science Systems , MOC , MGS , JPL , NASA |
| Authors & editors: | Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP) |
| A service of: |
ASD at NASA / GSFC, NASA Science Activation & Michigan Tech. U. |